Eange-eindingr appaeatus



C. SCHAUFF.

RANGE FINDING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1919.

1,330,013, Patented Feb. 3,1920.

IN VE/V 7 0/2 CHARLES SGHAUFF, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

1 RANGE-FINDING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 27, 1919. Serial No. 285,409.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLES Sermon, a cltizen of the United States, and resldent of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented anew and usetul Range-Flnd ng Apparatus, of which the following 18 a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in range finding apparatus in which the distance is ascertained by means of a right angle triangle, in which latter the length of one cathetus remains constant and is used as base line, so that the variable angle may be read directly in terms of length for the other cathetus. In other words, this inven tion is based on the familiar trigonometrical formula-a equals Z2 times tangent alpha-in which a is the cathetus from the stationary or central telescope to the object, and b is the cathetus from the stationary to the movable telescope. A semi-circular railroad track is used to maintain a constant base I) for the various possible triangles,

so that angle alpha is readable directly in miles for the distance a. If a gun is stationed at the apex of the right angle, pointing in the direction of said other cathetus, and equipped with a graduated scale for elevation according to distance, then the degrees of the variable angle need only be transmitted to the gunner to give his gun the correct elevation for a direct hit.

The objects of my invention are to relieve the gun crew of .all mathematical caleulations, to save the Government the large expense incurred in target practice, and yet to be certain of hitting the desired object.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure I is a diagrammatical plan view of the entire apparatus, and Fig. II is a diagrammatical side view of the cannon with some shell trajectories.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My apparatus may be used for frontier or coastal defense. Fig. I shows its application in the latter case. The cannon 1 may be one single piece of ordnance or a whole battery of guns. the gun is located a suitable observation tower, and on top of latter a telescope 2 with a graduated horizontal limb 3. From this instrument, which may be designated as central station, base lines 4 and 5 extend parallel with the sea shore, one to the right Specification of Letters Patent.

As near as possible behind latented Feb. 3, 1920.

and one to the left. At the ends of said base lines are mounted telescopes 6 and 7 similar to the one at the central station, also mounted on suitable observation towers, but the towers themselves are placed upon long and h avy railroad cars. These cars run on a railroad track 8 which extends rearward of the central station, and connects in a semicircle the ends of the base lines 4 and 5. Said track is divided into stations or degrees which should correspond with the degrees on the central telescope. H

Any. suitable long-distance method of communication, be it telephone, telegraph, sen'i aphorc or wireless telegraphy, connects the central station? with the end stations (5 and 7. On the approach of an enemy ship 9 the central station 2 takes a sight and communicates the exact number of degrees to the proper end station. Therend station is quickly rolled into position, a sight is taken an'd'the degrees of the angle arecommountainous countries, as will hereafter beexplained.

It is advisable to have oneinstrument at each end station, in order to be instantly ready whether the enemy approaches the ceptral station from the right or from the le t.

The proper graduation of the limb 11 on the gun '1 has to be done on the proving ground, up. A shot is fired and a permanent stake is set Where the shot struck ground; a flag is placed on top of the stake (see flag 13 in Fig. II) the aiming telescope 12 is then directed toward the stake and the vertical limb 11 is marked wherever the pointer 10 stands; now the telescope at the end of the base line is directed toward the fiag stafl, or rather to the stake under the staff, and the number of degrees on the instrument is noted. This is good for every other gun of the same caliber,

where a similar range finder is set v may be used in mountainous countries.

come central stations.

providing the same base line, the same projectile, and the same projective force are employed.

Where the contour of a country necessi tates the employment of a difierent base line, all that is necessary to do is, to measure off the new base line on the proving ground, direct the end telescope toward the flag staiis and note the variations in the difl'erent V angles.

It has. previously been noted that this gun For this'purpose the vertical limb 11 is attached to the aiming telescope 12 and, no matter how high or low the enemy might be located,

the cannon 1 with its pointer 10 can always be set to a definite degree for a definite distance.

' l I 4 a On an island or a peninsula, where it is not possible tohave double base lines of sufficient length, one single base line may be employed. In that case both angle measur- 7 .ing telescopes at the ends of the base line telescope 7 becomes the central station for the track 14. A

Lines 15 indicate the cathetusalong which the firing is done. Y

7 Having described my invention, I claim: 1. In range finding apparatus, atelescope mounted for rotation about a fixed vertical axis, a semi-circular traokhaving said axis at thecenter thereof, and a telescope slidably mounted on said tr'ackand having a vertical axis about which it is independently rotatable.

2. In range finding apparatus, a telescope V rotatable about a fixed vertical axis, a support therefor having a horizontal graduated plate to indicate the azimuth movements of said telescope, a semi-circular track having said axis as its center, and having stations corresponding to the graduations of said plate,'a telescope rotatable about a vertical axis and slidable bodily'on said track, and means connected to the second telescope for indicating the distance of'an obj ect from the first named telescope when the lines of sight of both telescopes intersect on the object and the straight line joining the two telescopes is at right angles to that joining-such object and the first named telescope.

CHARLES 'SCHAUFF. 

